Walsall Football Club opened their League Two play-off campaign in style with #OurWFC. They went on to a 2-0 aggregate win over Chesterfield in the first leg of those semi-finals. Friday night’s match showcased Walsall’s amazing fighting spirit. They endured a difficult second half of the season and just avoided dropping out of the automatic promotion race. Walsall, meanwhile, had a healthy 12-point cushion at the top of the league table in January. A catastrophic drop in performance had them scrapping to the very end for their play-off place.
During the first leg, Walsall’s goals were scored by Taylor Allen and Alfie Chang. Allen opened the scoring from the penalty spot after Chesterfield’s Liam Mandeville brought down Liam Gordon. Chang made it two scoring to double Walsall’s advantage. It was an impressive back-to-the-wall performance by a side that had come perilously close to being written out of the play-offs picture.
Performance Overview
Walsall’s manager Mat Sadler lauded his team’s performance but recognized the step-up that is still required.
“I just said to the players that it was a good performance and we’re pleased, but now we’ve got to go and work even harder on Friday.” – Mat Sadler
This victory comes on the heels of a rather chaotic finish to the regular season. Walsall blew their chance at automatic promotion when Bradford City netted in the dying seconds of their last game. Walsall have shown true fight and spirit to leave their mark within the play-off positions.
Chesterfield manager Paul Cook, no mean judge, acknowledged Walsall’s all-round excellence that night.
“You have to say well done to Walsall, they’ll come away thinking it’s a very good performance.” – Paul Cook
Looking Ahead
The second leg of the semi-final will start on Friday night at 8 PM. You can see every single piece of action live on Sky Sports Football! Walsall go into their biggest game of the season full of confidence but know a two goal lead is never a sure thing to advance.
Mat Sadler highlighted the need to stay grounded as they return their focus to next week’s battle.
“We’re pleased to be ahead, but it means nothing yet. We’re halfway through the tie. We rest, recover and go again.” – Mat Sadler
Walsall will be looking to continue their strong run of form and book a spot in the League Two final. The statement was potentially misleading, one thing is clear—the team has shown they can respond to challenging times. This tie represents their best opportunity to save their season.
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